Hopper feeding means for cigarette making machines



w. F. GRUPE 1,833,285 HOPPER FEEDING MEANS FOR ,GIG-ARETTE MAKING MACHINES Nov. 24, 1931.

Filed July 19. 1929 Patented Not-24, .1931:

wiLLIAM 1?. enurnfonLYNnEURs'rQ'nEw.' nnsnsr, swabs-ma"amomiemli w If CORPORATION, or ixinwyonmn. Yr., nioonroimrron osnnw x031; 1 Horrrm rEnnInGMEAnsroRoiehnnrgrnjivreiciiinnsf Application tied IJT'IIIIQYJS,

' This invention is for improvements in or relatlngto tobacco-feedlng mach1nes, and s concerned With machines of; the "type having a feed hopper to receive the bulk supply,

'Which extracts the tobacco from the hopper through a feeding aperture at which the base of the hopper terminates, and towards which the tobacco'is urged along thehopperbase;

In tobacco-feeding machines of this type, as heretofore constructdg-ithas been found 7 thatthe shorts or fine particles of tobacco are apt to segregate themselves fromthe remainder of 'thetobaccoan'd to collect at the" bottom ofthe hopper. This results in the;

' shorts being fed all together to the carded roller, to the partial butexcessive'exclu'sion of the other constituents of the tobacco, which j follow later. This irregular'ftake up by the carded roller is impressed on the streani of tobacco which leaves the carded roller, and the irregularities persist in; the st'ream throughout the feeding machine with there sult that the final product from the-machine,

is'irregular and lacking in uniformity, there I have found that the separation 'of the shorts from thereinainderjof the constitu- 'ents of thet'obacco which ojccurs {in the feed "hopper is due to the-mass of tobacco therein being set intorotation bodily by the operaby the dressing and brushing roller, which usually: co-operates with the main carded] roller; and this rotation of the mass of tobacco shakes and shifts it and separates the shorts frorn'the remainder. of the constituents; and

tion of the carded roller andthe means which urge the tobacco towards the'latten'and also allows them to fall tothe bottoni'of the'hop per. It is therefore,an object of the present invention to preventthis' rotation" taking "place, and, at thesa'rne time,- to enable; the

'cardedroller tooperate efiiciently in extract I ing' its charge of'tobacco from the hopper.: 1

V 7 According to one feature ofthe present in- V 'vention,therejisjp'rovided a tobacco-feeding machine of the type above described, which is characterized in that at the said aperture setting .{the aforesaidj 1n 'hloreover this "creation ofljthvbfl g Y the empty space below jitf i'QSlllf/S in blank 1 spaces being left upon the surface; of ,the

to forcei'it back'toyvards the rearof the hopi p pei or'tocause it to'toppl'e over; 'Mo venient?99" i 'ofthe inass oftobacco in the hopper is'i"n 'e'vitable "to acertainextent because there is a constant feedQfdue-to thetake -up of the; -carded'roller', but thepresent invention, airns; N 1.; t oontroll'ing the natureof that-moyenient5 5': J andpreventingit'takingthefformofal'mass:

rotationywhich notonly tends toshakefthei "-s11orts]doWn tothe bottom of the hopper,-

V -but,"a s thefrhass tumbles abo'ut; frequently 1 .7 I

causes the" tobacco to be dragged 'frjonrthe'i m .1

' the hopper base is located at orabov'ethe leyel 1 of the axis of the c'ardedjroller. This ensures that no;portion of the surface of'the carded I roller will overhang the-"tobacco on the base; and horizontally-pivoted carded roller *ofjthe hopperybut the surface'Wilhjonthe '55 V 'fcontrary;'slopein theo'ther'directiomthereby" n removing the tendency-for rotatiom-whieh. .Woiild beic'reated j if the saidoyerhang were y pre'sent becausepdue to overhang? thejtobacco 'as'it moves upwardly with the carded o roller, would also be; forced't6Wards}theback' of the hopper; and would tend to'topple over and fall down to the base ofthe hopper again,

b acco with itand forming a kindoffbri'dge under which there is noyorpracjtica-llyho,

j tobacco? Aj fter a time; thisbridge collapses g "and' th'e part of the tobacco neai bearded i by causing rejection of a percentage'of the "output, and consequentloss of efficiency ofthem'achine.

Wa-TdS the :backo'f the hopper ans theiflby carded roller-Q On theother handQbyhaying ilthe base of-the hopper located atgorfabwei a the level of thea'zisto'flthe Eller the";up}gg I Ward movement of thetobaccol carries it -f0r =wa'rd1y, sothatiitsweightislsupportedupon j v V the carded roller, and there isnoltendency;

tion; 7

This forward curved face 22is efi'ectively formed of spaced facial portions as above described, with intermediate grooves 23,

i their top apertures 23?), as appears in Figs.

spaced from one another and respectively embracing the respective rows of the carding teeth of the main cardedroller 14, the teethof which are disposed in correspondingly spaced common planes'cutting the circular periphery of the roller at right angles to the axis of the driving shaft of the carded roller. The grooves 23 are deeper and wlder at the1r bottom apertures 23a as compared wlth 5 and 6, for the purpose of re-conditioning the carding teeth, that is to say, to bend laterallyany laterally dislocated carding teeth and to bend radially towardthe carded roller 14 any radially outwardly dislocated carding teeth/thus restoring and maintaining the carding teeth in the1r normal function ng POSltlOl'lS.

In addition to the carding restoring faces of the back comb, the latter'is further provided with the convex face 24 extending uniformly across the upper rearward portion of the body 21 of the comb,fllocated in close proximity to the/convex path of the con J veyor belt 11 aboutthe small roll 18 (18a) Combining therewith andpwith the uppermost and substantially horizontal face 25 to form an effectively complete barrier to 7 'shorts and other shred lengths of the shredded tobacco charged into the hopper of the cigarette making machine.

Suitable means are employed for securing the back comb in proper position for attaining the above stated function, such securement being usually effected by suitable attachment to the frame of the carding mechanism of the machine, as will now be under stood by those skilled in the art. I

From the above it will be apparent, upon charging shredded tobacco upon the upper stretch of the back conveyor belt, the forward end of the charging conveyor is disposed above the overhanging peripheral portion of the main carded roller 14, and the forward portion of the advancing mass of the tobacco charge; including all the shorts as well as the remaining shreds, is positively fed to a, non-overhanging portion of the main card-- ed roller, which is under upwardactuatiom; and therefore away from the bulk, i; e., succeeding portion of the mass of the charge;

By such procedure of feeding, the forward portion of the charge is continuously fed upon the upper peripheral portion of the 1 carding in proper quantity relation to' the;

tooth spaces for attaining, in co -action with the dressing or brushing roller more uniform complete fillin of the tooth spaces, the surplus brushed by the brushing roller being V readily controlled in quantity to preclude the formation of anyv bridges or creating any rotation of the mass of the charge, and there- Qcr'ea sedf pressure bva'ntagebus for certain kin reventing and that the conti'nuously progressing. back con-.

ar "steam etch off the back. conveyor has rh i-c eeadc tobacco r .1 a -;I aj e d r'i r a ar s-" ng chine,the' combination ofacarded rollerhaving} its axisdisposed inisubstantially horizontal plane, a' 'c onveyorbelt having its dis "11 as be ap arent f 5 charging end disposed above the horizontal" plane passing through the axiso-f said carded roller and below the apex of said carded, roller and in close proximity to the cardingor said carded roller, and a back comb'effec-{ tually, interposed between the charging end of said conveyor belt and the carding of said carded "roller, said back comb including pro-- jections fixedly carriedby saidvback comb and disposed respectively between the rows of carding of said carded roll. 7 V e 1 2. In a feeder for a cigarette making machine, the combination of a carded roller, a

conveyor belt having its charging length dis-Y v posed in upwardly extending positionjand its,

discharging end disposed above the horizon 0a I 1 tal plane passing through the axis ofsaid 1 carded'roller andbelow the apex of said cardedroller and inclose proximity to the card ing of said carded roller, andlaback comb, eifectually interposedbetween the charging] 1 end of said conveyor belt 'andthe carding of; i I A said carded roller, said back comb including i projections'fixedly carried by said back comb and disposed respectively between the rows of carding of said-carded roll.

3. The combination with a carded roller and an e'lfectively upwardly chargingconveyorbelt for feedingjtobacco to said carded roller, of aback comb interposed between the j" discharging'end of said conveyor belt andthe ns 'cardmgofsald carded'roller, said combfhav-, j 7 mg groovescorre'sponding to and .embraclng ther spective'annular s f g g eth of said cardedfroller, each of Sa d .g TQo 7 havin relatively increasedd at one end relativeto theopposite .end.

4'. The combination-with; a carded rollerf I and an effectively upwardly charging conveyor belt for feeding tobacco to said carded.

roller, of aback comb interposed between the xi 5 I e f dischargingend of said conveyorb-elt and ,7 the carding of said-carded roller, saidcomb having grooves correspondingto and embrac- I V ingfthe respectiveeannular sets of carding.

teeth ofsaid carded rollensaid comb further? d1 i 

